Technology

Traffic delays in the city of Syracuse have decreased by as much as 80 percent following the recently completed phase two of Interconnect.

Interconnect, a project that synchronizes traffic lights across the city, has been around since 1993. But a lot has changed in the technology world since then. So the city has spent the last several years updating the system.

Mayor Stephanie Miner says with the second phase of the system is in place, it’s meant fewer traffic delays on some busy corridors in Syracuse, like on a stretch of North Salina Street.

Empire State Development is funding a startup competition called Genius NY to attract teams with ideas to innovate drone technology. The business accelerator is meant to highlight the region’s commitment to building a new economy around unmanned systems.

Six teams will split prizes totaling more than $2.7 million and spend a year developing their ideas at the Tech Garden in Syracuse. Jonathan Parry, the director of Genius NY, said while drones are becoming more popular, this competition is looking for the software, sensors and radar that will guide autonomous systems.

Three teams of Syracuse city high school and middle schools students will advance to the Vex Worlds Robotic Championship in Kentucky in April. Officials describe it as a significant achievement because of the impact robotics will have in the future.

The Syracuse Police Department is trying to use technology to get more people to tip them off about criminal activity. A new smartphone app for Apple and Android phones, called SPD Tips, is now available. It allows people to anonymously contact police directly with a tip. It goes along with the 411 tips link on the department's website, according to police Chief Frank Fowler.

The Tech Garden is an incubator for new technology-related businesses and is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in Syracuse. The Tech Garden offers space for start-up companies to lease, as well as professional mentoring and investment capital.

Leane Eckelberg is the CEO of HoverStat which does drone roof inspections for solar panel installations. She went on a call with a solar technician and when they got to the house, it started to rain.

Public speaking, for many, can make palms sweat and hearts race. Now, researchers from the Human-Computer Interaction group at the University of Rochester have developed a new real-time feedback system using Google’s smart glasses, to help guide your performance as you speak in front of an audience.

The system, called Rhema, was developed last month and designed for people who need a bit of help addressing crowds.

After several instances of small drones being spotted near New York City’s largest airport, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) is becoming more concerned about safety and privacy concerns over the unmanned aircraft.

Schumer says some recent near-misses between small drones and commercial aircraft and helicopters in New York City show a need for safety and privacy regulations to be released from the Federal Aviation Administration as soon as possible.

The commercial drone industry says privacy advocates are unfairly targeting it when it comes to privacy and surveillance concerns.

The unmanned aerial systems industry wasn’t even expecting to have to fight over privacy when it came to the integration of drones into the national airspace.

"When the FAA bill passed, we had no idea privacy was going to be the issue de jour, of the day, for the next years to come," said Mario Mairena, who handles government relations for the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a leading industry trade group.

Syracuse common councilors are adding their voice to the ongoing fight for better internet access to the City of Syracuse.

Lawmakers unanimously agreed to a resolution that encourages Verizon to apply to the Public Service Commission for a franchise agreement that would establish FiOS internet and cable service inside city limits. Right now the fiber optic system is only available in select Syracuse suburbs.

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the first private drone flights over upstate New York as part of a national testing program.

The Northeast UAS (unmanned aerial systems) Airspace Integration Research Alliance, or NUAIR, has spent the better part of the year waiting for the FAA's approval to begin testing remotely piloted aircraft.

Young people today are a giving generation, according to a recent poll that shows that 75 percent of millennials donated to causes in the calendar year.

But the tried and true charitable strategies of galas and golf tournaments often don't cross the generational divide. With this in mind, one Syracuse start-up is hoping to offer charities a chance to reach younger givers using something they relate to: social media.

There's another $1 million in the recently passed state budget for upstate New York's new drone testing program, which means the site now has enough funding to get through at least its first year of operations.

The coalition that won the bid just before the New Year, known as NUAIR, will be based at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome. The research lab there is upgrading a former hanger to house drones and equipment.

Upstate glass manufacturer Corning Inc. has developed the first antimicrobial glass for our proliferating smart devices, lap tops, and TVs. The glass is more resistant to bacteria but, doubts are emerging about the benefits of antibacterial products.

Upstate New York winning a civilian drone testing site from the Federal Aviation Administration is a step in the wrong direction for the Syracuse Peace Council. The anti-drone activists are trying to shutdown military drone activity in the region.

On Monday, New York won one of six coveted commercial drone test sites from the FAA. On Friday, Ed Kinane and other peace activists will be a court over their protests against military drones.

Upstate New York has won a coveted test site designation for unmanned aerial systems - or drones - from the Federal Aviation Administration as part of that agency's work toward developing regulations for drones' integration into U.S. skies.

But for many here in upstate New York, the designation is more about the jobs and dollars that surround the booming drone industry, estimated to be worth $100 billion globally over the next decade. Industry trade groups predict the business will generated 70,000 jobs nationwide.